Customer Reviews
Cold Space
They played two songs from this CD; first they played "Under Pressure" which the crowd went nuts for. I saw the tour of this "album" as a GI stationed at Lindsey AS Germany in 1982. Then they played "Body Language" and I swear the crowd went stone quiet. Needless to say, the band didn't play another song from this album. I only give this review two stars because "Under Pressure" is when of the best songs they have ever written. Other then that, like my German friends in 1982, I find this to be awful. The worst in their glorious career.
Why this Queen album gets a hammering I will not ever know
After the success of the 1980 chart-topper The Game, Queen took some time following their 1980/81 tour to record a new album. Queen's eleventh album (twelfth overall) entitled Hot Space was released in May of 1982.
Lead singer Freddie Mercury, bass player John Deacon, guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor along with Game co-producer and engineer Mack went into the studio at the end of 1981 and recorded The Game's proper follow-up not counting the Flash Gordon soundtrack and Greatest Hits album.
When fans first put on Hot Space, they were expecting a typical Queen album but a good portion (the first side of the original vinyl and cassette issues at least) was dance music pure and simple.
The opening track "Staying Power" is a funky Mercury composition which may be seen as bad stale disco as disco was two years out of date by then but when performed live, the song was transformed into a rocker. Next is Brian's rocker "Dancer" which combined synth and regular drums and a synth-bass skin to Foreigner's Juke Box Hero and a killer May riff and superb May solos. Next was John's funk number "Back Chat" which is my favorite song on the album's first half and would be a concert staple which was transformed into a rocker live. Next was the Mercury composition "Body Language" which was the album's biggest hit in the US hitting #11 and had its video banned from MTV for being too risque (I think it was a great clip and was tame compared to lousy, filth-drenched videos that hacks like Madonna, Britney, Christina, Beyonce, The Pussycat Dolls and Rihanna and such made). Roger's New Wave sounding rocker "Action This Day" ended the first half and was a great song but would be better live.
The album's second half was typical Queen tracks starting with Brian's rocker "Put Out the Fire" which is a great number. Freddie's ballad written for John Lennon, the Beatlesque "Life is Real" follows and is a great song. Roger follows with the minor US hit "Calling All Girls" which is a great song though many hate it. We follow with Brian's UK Top 30 ballad "Las Palabras De Amor (The Words of Love)" which is a beautiful song and my favorite on the album's second side. Next is the Mercury/Deacon ballad "Cool Cat" which Freddie sang entirely in falsetto. We end with the classic duet with David Bowie called "Under Pressure" which hit #27 in the US and #1 in the UK and was a great song which first appeared on the band's US and Canadian versions of Queen's Greatest Hits album in November of 1981.
However, many fans (or poseur fans I call them) hated Hot Space's sound change and Hot Space peaked at a dismal #27 in the US and stalled at Gold which was a MAJOR FLOP compared to The Game's four million in US sales and #1 US peak.
Sales notwithstanding, this album is a great album and the band had a right to change its sound and experiment (that is why bands like Pink Floyd, Rush, Genesis and Iron Maiden succeeded with changing styles and sounds over the years). If they stuck with AC/DC formula (not there is anything wrong with AC/DC), they would have become stale!
Recommended! .
A great album
Yes, it is a very different sound from the "Classic" Queen everyone was use to but the lyrics and music are very good. I bought this on cassette tape when it first came out. I like how Queen re-invents themselves with this album. It was led by other songs like, Another One Bites the Dust, & Dragon Attack, these songs showed a preview of what was to come, Hot Space! The songs on this album are all catchy and sound great. I find myself sometimes singing several of these songs in my head. I know that I wore the tape out when I had it then and will do the same with the CD.
1 Staying Power - Great song. It is so dirty and kind of sexy at the same time. I love the horn arrangement.
2 Dancer
3 Back Chat
4 Body Language - I like how this song is laid out. Especially, the band break that just has the snapping of fingers. I can just picture "West Side Story. "
5 Action This Day
6 Put Out the Fire - Chalk one up for Queen. This is a very blatant anti-gun song. I sure not one of the NRA's favs.
7 Life Is Real (Song for Lennon)- A very nice and lyrical tribute to my favorite Beatle.
8 Calling All Girls
9 Las Palabras de Amor (The Words of Love)
10 Cool Cat
11 Under Pressure - What can be said about this song that hasn't already been said! This is great song that is always being played on the local Classic Rock stations. It is also on the David Bowie CD - Best of Bowie.
I also like the cover art. It stands out and I know that is not something that one takes in account when buying a CD but I think is does look great.
Overall, I love this album. I consider it one of my "Classic Rock" albums to go along with my other Queen albums. It is a great buy and I think you will find yourself listening to it over and over again. If you like great 80s rock/dance music this is the album to get.
.
. You can see a complete list of all Queen discography, or go back to the Queen tabs
|
